Cree youth trek over 100km along Hudson Bay coast

Youth from across Eeyou Istchee walked 110 kilometres across the Hudson Bay coastline in Northern Quebec during this year's Regional Winter Youth Journey.

"I learned that our past was much harder than now," said Aydon Hester from Waskaganish, Que. He was one of 12 youth and young adults who completed the journey.

The Cree Nation Youth Council organized the walk. Youth travelled from Waskaganish to Eastmain over eight days, starting on March 18 and ending on March 25.

The youth are geared with only their snowshoes, and a small sled packed with clothes, cookware, and other essentials items that can help them live on the land. Volunteers called roadrunners check up on the road, give youth necessary supplies like some food, water, or first aid if needed.

"My dad spoke to me, he used to be a junior guide," said Hester, whose dad was encouraging him to take on the winter journey. 

"He said…you're gonna have fun, make a lot of friends and make memories too. And that's the reason I wanted to go," said Hester, adding that while making memories with the group, he learns important lessons along the way. 

For Hester, the experience was hard, pulling his sled of supplies for kilometres at a time, for hours alongside his fellow walkers.

"Our ancestors or great-grandparents I just imagine [how they lived] and that would motivate me to push to go forward," said Hester.

His grandparents and parents helped prepare him for the long journey, giving him advice on keeping warm. 

"When you overdress you get sweaty a lot, then you get colder quicker. And wrap garbage bags on your feet so you won't get wet on your toes," said Hester. 

Romeo Blackned, from Waskaganish, was one of the land guides for the journey. He emphasized that the entire journey would not have been possible without the people behind the scenes, including the organizers, the roadrunners, tallymen, and family. 

"We want to show the youth what our people used to do before…how our people lived off the land," said Blackned in Cree.

Blackned also participated in a similar winter journey in the past, adding that the skills he learned helped him become a land guide. He hopes he has passed on that learning to the youth who completed the journey this year.

"They learned about safety. Every morning, we would show them how to prepare for each day's walk to carry their gear," said Blackned, adding that knowing how to read the terrain, weather and location are essential to living off the land. 

On day six of their journey the group had a 2-day break in Jack River campsite, where they also learned ice fishing, among other things. 

"We taught them moose hunting, ptarmigan hunting, where to find them, and rabbit snaring," said Blackned. 

A local tallyman brought his recently harvested moose to their campsite to teach the youth how to skin and butcher traditional meat. 

"It's a fun experience. The tallyman was so happy. He just killed the moose, we butchered it," said Hester, who said that roadrunners and tallymen were special parts of their learning experiences.

Packing up their gear for the final days, Hester hoped to bring his skills home in Waskaganish. 

After their 8-day trek, family, friends, and members of the Cree Nation Youth Council greeted the walkers in Eastmain. Everyone was happy, according to Hester.

Hester wants the youth to understand the importance of carrying on Cree traditions while also passing their lessons to the next group of walkers who embark on the upcoming winter journey.

"Just remember. Remember all the things that your parents told you. Remember the things your grandparents told you. Just remember." said Hester.